Church v. Military Funerals, U.S. Supreme Court Rules 8-1

This week the Daily's Show's Jon Stewart took the Westboro Baptist Church to task, comparing their religious position's actual position as a church with 'Church's Chicken'.

Westboro Baptist Church visit to Oregon. Salem-News.com photo by Tim King

(CLEVELAND) - Some Salem-News.com visitors may recall that about five years ago, we covered the behavior of the Westboro Baptist Church from Topeka, Kansas who came to Oregon to protest the funeral of the first US Navy SEAL killed in Iraq, Mark Lee.

This group consisting largely of lawyers, infuriates the families of fallen Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines by demonstrating during their time of greiving with the most outrageous acts possible; essentially they say America condones homosexuality and that is why our military is being killed overseas.

Last week a Veteran wrote to Salem-News.com deploring the acts of these people who offend everyone from the most patriotic redneck, to the gay militant, equally.

This week the Daily's Show's Jon Stewart took the Westboro Baptist Church to task; comparing their religious position as a church with 'Church's Chicken'.

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Church v. Military Funerals, U.S. Supreme Court Rules 8-1

What makes a nation strong? What makes it weak?
Wallow in the valley, sit atop the mountain’s peak?
It’s the basic foundation, military power and might,
As strength is essential, lasting glory relies in, Right.

When country’s rise from the bottom to the very top,
There is an element of sacrifice, no nation can stop,
Death! The soldiers who give their lives in victory,
Where blood of the brave is shed only by necessity.

Now comes this fundamentalist, “Baptist Church,”
Quoting the 1st Amendment no matter who it hurts,
Anti-military slurs at funerals they use and display,
The U.S. Supreme Court agrees with what they say.

If Hitler, Stalin, Mao or Saddam were in control,
Would there be, “free speech” 2 words, “Hell no!”
Only! Justice Samuel Alito dissented in this case,
While the remaining 8 agreed in national disgrace.

The first Amendment shields the protesters from?
A sputtering AK-47, a full fledged machine gun?
Death from an RPG, Rocket Propelled Grenade?
Full body gear useless, 110 degrees in the shade.

Those lower court judges and Supreme Court alike,
How many have seen brains scattered in a fire-fight?
A chest blown wide open, limb lost, gushing blood?
Color dark red in abundance, like the Katrina flood?

The mistake in New Orleans, we’ll clean it up. Oops!
Not with the un-natural disaster of U.S. fallen troops,
Justice Roberts, “we must protect even hurtful speech,”
But, in disrespect to families of those buried six deep?

Send protesters overseas, click their heels 2, 3 times, 4,
Tell them, “sorry Dorothy, were not in Kansas anymore,”
Get ready for MRE’s, whereas, there is no grocery store,
And no marching in tennis shoes, your feet will be sore.

As this is viewed by minors the word can only be one,
And so, as not to be improper the bible says, “Dung!”
In places like Russia, Iran, the old Iraq they’d be hung,
Oh hold on to your horses, free speech is all I’ve done.

By Luke Easter

Visit: Military Funeral Protesting Church Will Pay Almost $11 Million in Lawsuit (VIDEO)Tim King Salem-News.com

Luke Easter is a poet who writes about things that are very close to the heart of Salem-News.com. Another former U.S. Marine, Luke heals the world with an approach that reaches people on a different level, one known for centuries, yet too often forgotten in the one we live in.

We live in a world of social & economic injustice. The main reason for founding America in the first place was to relieve the oppression of the King of England. Patrick Henry said it best, “give me liberty or give me death.” And yet, all too often death seems to be the only way out. Why is there such a high suicide rate especially among teens, in the land of the free & the home of the brave? What makes headlines? Good news? Ha! More depressing stories than anything else. I feel poetry takes an edge off the hurt of bad news while still delivering it but in a, “glitzy” sort of way. Giving a different perspective. Kind of like slap in the face as opposed to a knife in the back. At least with the slap you’ll live to see another day and you will know whom it’s from. I wasn’t here for the beginning of the world but at 59, I just might be here for the end.

Even though it’s still a knife, rhyme poetry helps to dull the blade. And that’s my job. You can write to Luke Easter at: lyricsfromlucas@aol.com